“Gods! You scared me!” I said to the small critter.
The cat’s tail swished back and forth. It hopped up onto the counter and began grooming itself, not sparing me another glance.
“What are you doing in here, little cat?”
It didn’t even look up, but its body language was tense. I didn’t dare approach to pet it.
Was that the presence that had me so on edge? It seemed the only logical explanation.
Grabbing a broom, I shooed the cat out the open window and then slammed it tightly shut. The room immediately felt a bit less ominous.
Brambleby would have to find another way in. He was smart enough.
Sleep refused to find me after that.
I ached to slip out of the cottage, to run through the woods to find some solace.
But after last time… that sure as Hell’s Realm wasn’t happening. Not for a long while.
I wondered idly at what happened to the red shiny mushrooms. Kizzi would have appreciated them, even if they were toxic.Especiallyif they were toxic.
Perhaps they were where I had left them. If I felt brave in broad daylight, I would go back for them—more carefully this time, and with my eyes peeled for dangerous beasts.
My body, more or less, felt back to normal after the rejuvenating sleep.
A little sluggish, a little sore, but nothing I couldn’t easily ignore. Nothing a cup of tea and a busy day at the pub wouldn’t distract me from.
I pulled out a book and settled in for a long, restless night, wishing for the suns to rise.
If I still felt I wasn’t alone, I steadfastly pretended otherwise.
“Wow! You look like shit!”
I snorted a laugh and glared at Fiella. I didn’t lookthatbad. I’d brought Brambleby to her shop as soon as the suns were at their peak so I could catch up on everything I had missed during my…coma.
“Thanks,” I said sarcastically.
She laughed and pulled me into a quick, hard hug. “I’m kidding. You look buckets better than you did lying on that cot at the clinic.” She shivered as if the image haunted her.
“You visited me?”
She released me from the hug but held me at arm’s length as she scanned my face. “Of course. We all did. Every day.”
“Every day?”
“Duh! We’re your friends, we were worried sick!”
My stomach warmed. “You were?”
She rolled her eyes and released me. “Of course we were. You were down for almost a week, you know.”
The blood drained from my face. I had almost forgotten how much time had passed. “Velline said it was five days.”
Fiella nodded. “Nearly six. It was a very stressful week. You should probably get Velline a fruit basket or something.She almost had to send a missive to Old Man Wilbur for backup, her healing skills were pushed to the limit.”
I rubbed at my forehead. A week. Almost an entireweek. So much could happen in that time. Asleep. Nearly dying while life went on without me.
I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. That felt impossible.
